Force feed mercury column amalgamator and grinder apparatus



Jan. 11-, 1955 R. L. PAGE 2,699,295

FORCE FEED MERCURY COLUMN AMALGAMATOR AND GRINDER APPARATUS Filed NOV. 12, 1952 FIG.

INVENTOR. ROSS L. PAGE A 7' TOR/YE Y United States Patent FORCE FEED MERCURY COLUMN AMALGAM- ATOR AND GRINDER APPARATUS Ross L. Page, San Diego, Calif.

Application November 12, 1952, Serial No. 319,876

1 Claim. (Cl. 241-46) My invention relates to a force feed mercury column amalgamator and grinder, more particularly to a grinder, pump and amalgamator for gathering the mineral, particularly gold, from ground ore by the use of mercury as an affinity agent for gathering the gold particles and the objects of my invention are,

First, to provide a combined grinder and pump for preparing and moving the ore and mineral in and through a mercury body.

Second, to provide a pump, grinder and amalgamator airanged in series for plurality amalgamation treatment 0 ores.

Third, to provide an apparatus of this class in which hoppers, loaded with ore, may be used to provide pressure on the grinding means.

Fourth, to provide an apparatus of this class in which the grinder and pump control and propel the ore through a mercury body and out through tailing conductors.

Fifth, to provide a grinding and pump means of this class which may be easily replaced when worn for repair or renewing.

Sixth, to provide an apparatus of this class in which the operating shaft for the grinder and pump also serves as a conductor for the ore on its Way to said grinder and pump, and

Seventh, to provide an apparatus of this class which is very simple and economical of construction, easy to operate, efiicient in its action in which several parts form double function and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and portions, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claim,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings and Y the characters of reference thereon, which form a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, diagrammatical, side elevational view of my apparatus showing parts and portions broken away and in sections to facilitate the illustration.

Fig.7. is an enlarged bottom view of the male member of my pump and grinder; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view (fin a slightly reduced scale taken from the line 3-3 of Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The amalgamator column tanks 1 and 2, hollow tubular feed shafts 3 and 4, centrifugal pump and grinder members 5 and 6, ore hoppers 7 and 8, operating pulleys 9 and 10, belts 11 and 12, tailing conductors 13 and 14, supporting braces 15, upright 16 and supporting sill 17 constitute the principal parts and portions of my force feed mercury column amalgamator and grinding apparatus.

The tanks 1 and 2 are circular, cylindrical tanks closed at top and bottom and they are provided with bearings 1a, centrally at their upper ends.

These tanks 1 and 2 are supported vertically by means of braces positioned on opposite sides of these tanks 1 and 2 and secured thereto by bolts or welding and the tank 1 is positioned higher than the tank 2 so that the braces 15 are inclined. These braces are supported at their lower ends on sills 17 and at their upper ends on upright 16, which may be in the form of posts positioned at the lower ends in concrete or in the ground.

2,699,295 Patented Jan. 11, 1955 ice Revolubly mounted in the bearings 1a, in both of the tanks 1 and 2 are the hollow, tubular feed shafts 3 and 4 and these feed shafts 3 and 4 are provided at their upper ends above the tanks 1 and 2 with operating pulleys 9 and 10 secured to said shafts and mounted on these pulleys 9 and 1d are operating belts 11 and 12 which extend to any revolving, source of power for turning said shafts, not shown. Positioned on the upper ends of these shafts 3 and 1 and secured thereto are hoppers 7 and 8. The hopper 7 is the main receiving hopper for the ore, which ore is previously prepared by grinding in a hammer mill or other conventional grinder and ground to substantially 80 mesh depending however on the type of ore, while the hopper 8 is a smaller hopper and receives the failings through the conductor 13 from the upper portion of the tank 1. The tank 2 is also provided with a tailing conductor 14 extending from the upper portion of said tank 2 for conducting the tailings from the tank 2. The lower ends of the hollow tubular feed shafts 3 and 4 are externally threaded for securing the male members of the centrifugal pump and grinder 5 thereto by conforming threads.

These pump and grinder members 5 are convex in general form at their lower side and flat at their upper sides. This convex side is however provided with a plurality of arcuate edged involute portions which gradu ally diverge to a similar portion thus providing a plurality of gradually diminishing curved, surface grinding and pumping portions as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The lowermost edges are arranged to engage the upper concave surfaces of the female members 6, which female members are secured in the bottom of the tanks 1 and 2 and are static, while the members 5 revolve in the concave portions of the members 6, it being noted that there is a graduating space 5a, between the perimeters of the members 5 and the upper extending edges of the members 6, shown best and indicated by the reference character 5a in Fig. 3 of the drawings. It will be here noted that the perimeters of the members 5 and the inner edges at the upper side of the members 6 are spaced some distance from the inner sides of the tanks 1 and 2 to permit the ready mixing of the ground ores with the mercury in the bottom of the tanks 1 and 2 in which the members 5 and 6 are submerged. These members 5 are provided with a plurality of holes 5b extending from the upper side of said member 5 downwardly and backwardly from the line of travel and toward the center and out the bottom and with a corn ducting hood opened toward the direction of travel of said member, said hoods and holes arranged to force mercury to the lower side of said member 5 near the center. Positioned centrally in the bottom of the tanks 1 and 2 are provided plugs 11: and 2b which serves as an outlet for the mercury laden with the mineral values which are separated in any conventional manner.

The operation of my force feed mercury column amalgamator and grinder apparatus is substantially as follows:

The ground ore is fed into the hopper 7 in any manner desired and feeds down through the tubular shaft 3, forced by suction of the operation of the member 5 in the member 6, which is submerged in the mercury, this ore is further ground and pulverized by the curved, inclined portions of the member 5, with the concave portion of the member 6 and is forced upwardly and outwardly through the opening St: at the periphery of the member 5 and passes into and through and intermingles with the mercury M and the mineral values retained by the mercury and the tailings are forced upwardly in the column tank 1 and outwardly through the tailings conductor 13 by the action of the pump consisting of the members 5 and 6 and these failings are received by the hopper 8 and passed through the hollow tubular feed shaft 4- and goes through the same process in the tank 2 by the members 5 and 6 and mercury M and out through the tailings conductor 14. The mercury and mineral values are removed from both the tanks 1 and 2 by means of the plugs 1b and 2b and the mineral values separated from the mercury in any conventional manner.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination, and arrangements of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination, and arrangement but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination, and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a force feed mercury column amalgamator and grinder apparatus the combination of a vertically disposed hollow cylindrical tank provided with a concave bottom, a hollow tubular shaft and feed member revolubly mounted vertically in the center thereof, a combined pump and grinder member secured to the lower end of said shaft and arranged to receive ore from said tube directly to its lower extremity, said pump and grinder submerged in mercury in said tank, said pump and grinder member generally convex at its lower surface in conformance with said concave bottom but provided with arcuate edged involute portions which gradually converge forming a plurality of gradually diminishing curved surface grinding and pumping portions, said pump and grinder provided with an angular passage therethrough arranged to force mercury from said tank to the central lower side of said pump and grinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

